Closing out 2018

As another year ends, I thought it would be fun to reflect on the little moments that made this year spectacular. You know, take some time to remember the happy or best events that shaped this year. To express gratitude, which as you know can actually make you happier.

Try it. Take 30 minutes or more and think of the times that put a smile on your face this year. The times that gave you joy. Try for 5 moments and believe it or not, I bet you even more will start popping into your head.

Write them down. Share here or share with a friend or a loved one over a beer or your favorite hot chocolate, or pizza. See what they come up with.

Here is my list. Believe me there are more, but I had to stop. Hope it works for you and it makes you smile and feel good about the close of 2018.

Grandma at rehab.

Some of my best moments this year revolved around my beautiful, strong, 94-year young grandmother. My grandmother got sick this year and was in the hospital for several weeks. Well, if you knew Maxine (AKA Mad Max as my father likes to refer to her), you’d know she is one tough cookie. She survived the incident, thank goodness and I have pictures of her smiling to prove it.

Grandma with my hat she made.

 

 

 

Grandma made some of the crocheted hats we donated to the homeless Veterans this year. She even made a hat for me. When I got bronchitis in late October grandma called me to check on my health and to tell me I should go stay with her, so she could take care of me. Such wonderful love and spirit this woman, the heart of our family has to give.

The quilt my mom made.

My mother, who battles cancer every day, the daughter of the grandmother I just mentioned is a fighter and the craftiest person I know. She may not do as much as she used to, but when she does, whatever she makes is beautiful. Mom made the cards for our homeless Veterans backpacks. My Christmas gift this year was a quilt made by my mom, Mary. I adore anything handmade/homemade and she knows that what she makes will be treasured.

Dad and I doing a 5K together.

Dad, AKA Pops, is the smartest person I know with the most common sense and the biggest heart. He takes care of everyone in this family, no matter how close or how far. But we all worried when he had to go in for a hip replacement earlier this year. He survived it and he was right back to playing golf the same day the doctor gave him the all clear. Not kidding. He booked the tee time before he went for his last follow up visit. He was not going to be stopped. I get my outdoors and activity mode from my father, Keith. Along with my tenacity.

My nephew and me.

I had a terrific time when my youngest nephew, Brandon came to visit and share his 20^th birthday with me. I mean, seriously, how many aunts are lucky enough to have a niece or nephew want to spend a long weekend with them? Me! I enjoyed every minute and I hope Brandon brings his contagious smile, blue eyes, red hair, and his amazing personality back to visit again SOON.

Even though I am so far away from all of my family I hope they know how much joy they bring into my life.

Tough Ruck 2018

This year I had some huge accomplishments in my running/walking. I did my first marathon ruck this year. Twenty-six point two miles with a 22-pound backpack. Talk about tough, but the reward was time spent talking with many active military, retired military, and first responders. Oh, and the embarrassing part of tripping over the finish line. THAT, I will never forget. And the hot fudge sundae as a reward for my efforts. I had so much fun and supported such a fantastic cause - Military Friends Foundation that I am doing it again this year. If you’d like to help me support the Military Friends Foundation, which helps military and first responder families you can donate here: https://www.crowdrise.com/o/en/campaign/tough-ruck-for-the-fallen-2019



Me and my support crew.

What brought me to happy tears this year was FINALLY reaching 100 miles in an ultra-event. Actually, it was 101 miles of cold, rain, heat, sweat, and blisters (my nemesis). What made it all the sweeter was not the buckle I received (although that was very cool!) it was having my good friend Renee there to share it with me. She not only walked with me off and on, but she was my support crew. She pulled me out of my funk when I hit bottom, went and got us real food when we could eat no more junk, and suffered through sleeping in the back of my SUV for two nights. How many friends do you know would do that? Heck, I can’t get most my friends to even go to a run and see what I love about ultras. If they only knew what they were missing…

Renee bucket list.

This year Renee and I also did a run from her bucket list – the Marine Corps Marathon. That is by far the best marathon and I know I enjoyed running it with a good friend, the sightseeing we did before and after the event, and just the general good time. Of course getting that medal put over my head by a Marine - there’s a lot of happy tears involved in running, but none more than when you do it with a friend. 😊



Operation Stuffit with family

What brings me much joy and happiness is giving back. This year I saved so I could spend every weekend gathering backpacks and supplies for our local homeless Veterans. I wish this was something that did not need to be done, but it is an honor and a privilege and a way for me to say thank you to the men and women who do so much for us. The culmination of this effort happened on a Saturday evening where I spent four hours with my neighbors and friends who are more like family to me; listening to Christmas music and stuffing the backpacks with care and love in what I refer to as Operation Stuffit. Thank you, Kenny, Donna, Jay, and Lynn not only for your help, but for your friendship and unwavering support.

Speaking of good friends. WOW! Right before Christmas I got to speak with a couple of longtime friends. I’m talking people I have known and loved since high school. I literally sat in my car for 90 minutes talking with Maurine and Duane who I haven’t spoken by phone or seen in years. Amazing how time slips away even after all these years and you realize how much you still have to talk about and how much these people meant to you back then and how much they helped shape who you are today.

I could go on. Like all the text messages my aunt Sheri and sister, Jeanine share weekly. Drives my brother in law nuts when the phone dings repeatedly when we are on a roll, but the three of us have a good time keeping in touch and making sure we know what is happening in our lives. Sharing with each other. Sharing is caring, right?!

See! I told you once you started you would see there were many happy moments, little slices of heaven that occurred throughout the year. Times and events that that make you smile and make you grateful.

I hope you take the time to recognize just a few and take that warm feeling into the new year.

 

New Year's Resolution of Kindness

Happy New Year! and Welcome to 2016!

How many of you make a New Year’s Resolution? I’m guessing there is a large show of hands. And of course you have every intention of keeping them. I can tell you the first week of the New Year and sometimes even the first month is packed at the gym. But then it dwindles.

The dreaded New Year’s Resolution.

How many of you keep your New Year’s Resolutions? I’ll bet there are a lot less hands in the air. Or maybe you keep some but not others. Hey, some is better than none, right?

Me? I like New Year’s Resolutions for the opportunity to take on a challenge. Do I stick with them? Yes. Why? A resolution to me means growth, personal growth.

Each year I like to learn or try something new, something to take me out of my comfort zone and expose me to new people and new adventures.

This year I’m doing something different. This year it’s not just about my own personal growth, it’s about giving back, paying it forward. It’s about random acts of kindness. It's a New Year's Resolution of Kindness!

Yes, this year my plan is to do at least one random act of kindness a week. That’s 52 random acts of kindness in 2016. If you are afraid you can’t do it every week then pick one month and do one random act each day of that month.

On my birthday I will perform one random act of kindness for each year in my age. Nope, do not ask. I will not tell you my age. Let’s just say it will be a very busy day giving.

I would love for this idea to spread and see more of you do this so please pass the word and let’s make 2016 a year of giving.

Below is a list of some ideas to help you get started. Please share your own ideas or acts of kindness.

 Ideas for Random Acts of Kindness:

1. Start a piggy bank for a cause
2. Leave a copy of an interesting book on a train, bus, or in a coffee shop
3. Pay for the drinks on the next table at a café or restaurant
4. Call a grandparent
5. Thank a police officer or firefighter
6. Share your umbrella
7. Pick up groceries for a neighbor
8. Bring co-workers a special treat
9. Help someone load groceries into vehicle
10. Bring flowers to someone
11. Pay the toll for the car behind you
12. Leave a generous tip for a server
13. Help someone with yard work
14. Thank a volunteer
15. Adopt a soldier: http://www.adoptaussoldier.org/
16. Adopt a platoon: http://adoptaplatoon.org/site/
17. Read to the elderly or a child
18. Return a shopping cart
19. Volunteer at a food bank
20. Leave change in a vending machine or parking meter
21. Use your vacation days
22. Hold the door open for someone
23. Let the person behind you go ahead of you in line
24. Donate clothing
25. Leave quarters at the laundromat
26. Buy a lottery ticket for someone else
27. Buy a cup of coffee for the person in line behind you
28. Write a thank you note to a co-worker
29. Give up your seat for a stranger
30. Say “please” and “thank you” … a lot
31. Send a gift anonymously
32. Compliment a waiter/waitress/server
33. Give another driver your parking spot
34. Give a landscaper a bottle of water
35. Treat a friend to the movies
36. Pick up rubbish in the road and put in a trash receptacle
37. Tell your family how much you appreciate them
38. Leave warm clothing on a bench with a note letting the finder know that it’s theirs to use or giveaway
39. Donate to your favorite charity or donate to my site for Team RWB, which supports our Veterans.   Denise's Team RWB donation site
40. Tweet a compliment about a vendor
41. Put your cell phone away
42. Give chocolate…generously and often
43. Stop to have a conversation with a homeless person
44. Write a positive review for a book or a product
45. Adopt a rescue pet
46. Leave a bag of microwave popcorn at your local Red Box movie rental stop
47. Listen to the person sitting across the table from you
48. Donate a race entry fee to the next random person
49. Plant a tree or flower
50. Make two lunches and give one away
51. Give directions to someone lost
52. Donate canned goods to a food shelter or at your local grocery store
53. Buy lemonade from a kid’s lemonade stand
54. Leave a nice comment on a blog
55. Wash your neighbor’s car
56. Keep a pen on hand – lend it to people when needed
57. Call your mom
58. Give someone a hug
59. Smile. . .a lot

 

 

How to live by life’s little ditties

Here are a few ditties I live my life by. They are in no particular order, except number one.

#1. Life is too short, so live it!

See how simple that is? Let me put it another way. If you’re worrying about “what-ifs” then you’re not living, you’re worrying.

#2. Anything worth doing is worth doing well.

See if this explains it better. If you’re going to have sex, ladies, don’t you want hot, sweaty, heart-pounding, orgasmic sex? You know, the kind when you finish you can’t breathe, but are so exhilarated you rollover on top of the guy so you can begin again. Or would you rather have the kind where you don’t reach that ultimate high, but when the other person gets theirs you say “Gee, that was nice.” Nice is not done well. Nice is nice. Hey, if he isn’t getting it right, show him. If you want to write a book, don’t just write a book, write the best dang book you can! Live the best life you can!

#3. Life should be an adventure.

This one seems to trip up a great many people. This means go outside your comfort zone. Think outside the box. Push the envelope. Whatever you do, try something. Do something! Experience something new. I live by this creedo! Once a year I come up with something new to try and do it. It could be taking singing lessons, scuba diving, running a marathon, or as simple as trying a new type of food. This year I will experience a 50-mile trail race!

#4. Bucket lists belong in a pail.

Bucket lists are just that, lists on a piece of paper. You don’t need a list to know what you want. Just wake up one day and say, “Today I’m going to bungee jump.” Then go do it. You have to make it happen and writing it down on a little piece of paper and squirreling it away is not going to make it happen. You have to take the bull by the horns or in this case the bungee by the cord and go for it! So if running a marathon is on this proverbial bucket list…take it off and just do it. Who cares if you walk the entire race. You can say you did it as opposed to, “It’s on my bucket list.” Basically, if you take it off the bucket list then you are adhering to Life ditty #3.

#5. Body and mind need restoration.

I never used to believe in this, but have learned the hard way. You see, it used to be that every time my husband and I took a vacation one or both of us would come back to not having a job. So we stopped taking vacations. We thought we were jinxed. However, without following this motto you never give yourself the time to recuperate from the forty-hour work week or if you are a homemaker, even longer hours. You need the time to get away to relax and rejuvenate. Now, it does not mean you need to fly off to Never Never Land or my favorite place (Ireland), but you have to do something so you are not amidst your everyday as this will only suck you back in. A couple of suggestions: Go camping with no cell phone and oh, yeah, no laundry or bills to pay. I once spent a week in the middle of nowhere, Georgia with no phone, no TV, and it was snowing. Best time of my life! Spend a day and go to every movie in the movie theatre. What a great escape! For a short, daily escape, take up running, walking, knitting, and oh, yes...reading. Give yourself time away from the daily grind.

#6. Life does not revolve around work.

This is probably one of the hardest ones for all of us to get past. We, as a society, work too many hours and in my opinion for too little. Yes, it pays the bills (sometimes). But honestly, is that what you were put on this earth for, to pay bills and make money for someone else? That is a resounding NO! Most, if not all of us, at one time or another, have been workaholics. To my great chagrin, I will admit to being one of them. I was actually one in my early twenties. Which, is perhaps, why I learned at a very young age that life was too precious and oh, yeah, meant to be lived (see Life ditty #1) so early on. Life should revolve around family and friends. They are your backbone, your source of inspiration, your rocks. Life is too precious to put a job above all else. And should you be so short-sighted to do so you will miss so much. Do you want to miss celebrating your tenth anniversary because of a board meeting? Or miss your daughter’s soccer playoff because you had to fix a bug or a delivery problem that could have waited another twelve hours? Of course you don’t. And neither does that family member or friend. Don’t let work get in the way of life passing you by. And if you have children, don’t show them the path of least resistance and that an unhappy life is normal. Show them that what life has to offer is what surrounds them, not the paycheck that pays the bills (sometimes). Play hookie!

#7. Live YOUR life and not someone else’s.

Every day, in every walk of life, you will see something or someone you admire and think, “I want what he or she has.” Really? How do you know they are happy? How do you know that they don’t go home alone or depressed or dread the next day? Life isn’t always greener on the other side. At least that’s what my mama always said. You don’t want someone else’s life you want yours. But to do that, you have to know what you want and go after it. Take it! Sitting on the sidelines and wishing you were someone else, had what someone else has, is not living your life. It’s not, in my opinion, even living. It’s wishing. And while I love wishing on a star, I also chase that star to the ends of the earth.

#8. Never regret ANYTHING.

Some people, maybe a great many will be shocked and horrified by this ditty. People believe mistakes are a sin or should be prevented in any way. Me, I have a different belief. Rather than regret any action, learn from it. Seriously! Once, my ex-husband and I moved to New Jersey. It didn’t last long. It was not a great experience. Thom’s mother said something about regretting it, and I said, “Why should I regret it? I learned I don’t like to live in New Jersey, and I learned what I do like.” See, silver lining. If you live your life by learning and not regretting, you grow and experience more. Regret is like a ball and chain. The more you regret, the more regret weighs you down in fear. You begin fearing making mistakes. Fear of mistakes will prevent you from living life. (see ditty #1) Do not fear mistakes. Embrace them! Grow! Live!

What little ditties, mottos, or creedos do you live by?

New Year, New Goals

The New Year has arrived! 2014 will be a better year, or will it?

How do you plan to make 2014 a great year? Do you make resolutions? Or do you let the year bring what it may without outlining any personal goals?

I am a firm believer in resolutions. Not because someone will hold my feet to the fire if I don’t accomplish them but because it helps me keep my eye on the prize.

Do you set your resolutions on January 1 and then not check them until the end of the year when it’s too late or do you set timeline goals for each resolution?

I do both. I give myself timelines within the year that I should accomplish them, but am flexible enough that I don’t berate myself if I don’t complete something by a certain date.

What are your New Year resolutions? Are they purely personal, purely professional, or all of the above?

Mine are purely personal.

Do you share your resolutions?

I believe that if you share your New Year goals with others then you’ve cemented the deal and you push yourself to make them happen. That doesn’t mean I share all of them. There’s usually one very personal one that I keep to myself.

The best part of setting goals or resolutions, at least for me, is the chasing down of those dreams. It wouldn’t be any fun if it was just dropped on your lap. It takes heart and soul, sweat and tears to imagine a goal, set it, and achieve it.

What if you don’t achieve your goals? Do you kick yourself? Curl up in a corner and whine about it?

I tend to say as long as I tried then that’s all that counts. If I fall a little short then I pat myself on the back and determine if I need to adjust the goal. Is it more important to lose ten pounds or be able to run a 5K the entire time?

What are your resolutions for 2014?

I have a couple of running and health related goals this year. Okay, more than a couple.

My first goal is to run my first ultra marathon, a 50K. That’s 31 miles! I’ve already picked the race. It’s the Lake Waramaug Ultra in Connecticut on April 27. My only goal is to finish the race with a smile on my face.

I love running but I’m not exactly fast. My other running related resolution is to improve my half-marathon time to 2 hours 30 minutes. Last year I improved my half marathon time by more than twenty minutes. Yea me! So I’m only asking for another 10 minute improvement. Wish me luck!

Since we are talking time improvement, I might as well say that means I am also hoping to improve my marathon performance. Last year my goal was to run one marathon (the Marine Corps Marathon) and just finish. I did! I actually ran two marathons and I did improve between the two races so that was good, but now let’s see if I can do better when I run 4 marathons.

While I am at it, I want to run 2014 miles in 2014! Ha. Come on! Join me in the insanity.
For a more well-rounded health goal, I hope to lose 10% body fat. GASP! I just put that in black and writing for the world to see. I can feel my toes burning from having my feet held to the fire.

I want to improve my core. As part of this, I am pledging to do a 60-second or longer plank every day of 2014 and 20 body-weight squats. Now, this will be the hard part!

An easy resolution for me is to read 52 books, at least one a week. Since I’m an avid reader this is a fun goal and usually easily attainable. If this is one of your New Year resolutions, a good way to achieve this goal is to participate in read-a-thon’s. I really like the way the Dewey Read-a-thon is run and if possible, I participate in the 24-hr read-a-thon twice a year. Check out the Dewey Read-a-thon website at http://24hourreadathon.com/.

There is one more resolution on my list, but that one I am holding close to the vest. [WINK]

Hope you share your resolutions or goals and have fun achieving them in 2014.

Now, I'm off to work on these goals. Got my first race of the new year in a couple of hours. Okay, it's only a mile race, but it's with a friend and that time with a friend is more precious than any resolution.

Happy New Year! May it be the best!

A New Year approaches...what did you do in 2012?

As 2012 comes to a close and 2013 lurks on the horizon, what are you thinking about? Are you reflecting on your accomplishments in 2012? Are you thinking about what 2013 is going to bring? Will the New Year come in slow and steady or with bang?

What did you do in 2012 that you set your sights on accomplishing? What was on your list of goals for 2012 that you did not do? Will you carry it over to 2013? What are your goals for 2013?

Me? One of my biggest accomplishments was running a half-marathon in Ireland. Last January a friend of mine suggested I could do it and I thought he was whacked. He is, but that’s a different story. Anyway, he challenged me to do it and even sent me a link to a race in Ireland. As soon as I saw that link and that the race was in one of my favorite places, I signed up. I not only ran the half marathon in Dingle, Ireland, but I ran several other half marathons in 2012. Of course, while I was in Ireland, I went to my favorite town, Kenmare for ten gorgeous days.

On a more personal note, I went to a movie for the first time in over five years. This is a huge accomplishment for me as the fear factor was great…but I conquered it with two days to go.

As for my writing, my goal every year is to finish one new novel. I did! I finished AT FACE VALUE, which L&L Dreamspell will release in 2013. That’s a good start to a new year!

I also read many, many books! I participated in both Dewey Read-a-thons. I even entered the e-book era by buying a Kindle. Love it!

What will you read first in 2012?

While many of you are recuperating from last night's over-indulgence with ice packs, burying your heads in the pillows, or hair of the dog, I will be doing my first run of 2012. If I survive the 1st Run 5K I will be crashing at the house later and cracking open a book by one of my favorite authors, Carla Neggers.


I am kicking off my 2012 reading list with Saint's Gate by Carla Neggers.

Blurb: When Emma Sharpe is summoned to a convent on the Maine coast, it’s partly for her art crimes work with the FBI, partly because of her past with the religious order. At issue is a mysterious painting depicting scenes of Irish lore and Viking legends, and her family’s connection to the work. But when the nun who contacted her is murdered, it seems legend is becoming deadly reality.

Colin Donovan is one of the FBI’s most valuable assets—a deep-cover agent who prefers to go it alone. He’s back home in Maine after wrapping up his latest mission, but his friend Father Bracken presents him with an intrigue of murder, international art heists and a convent’s long-held secrets that is too tempting to resist. So is Emma Sharpe. As the danger spirals ever closer, Colin’s certain of only one thing—Emma is at the center of it all.

A ruthless killer has Emma and Colin in the crosshairs, plunging them into a race against time and drawing them deeper into a twisted legacy of betrayal and deceit.


What are you reading first?

Last book to be read in 2011

What book are you ending the 2011 year reading?

I read a lot of holiday books right before Christmas. With the end of the year only three days away I decided to end 2011 reading a romantic book by Suzanne Brockmann. It's actually a re-issue that I have never read. GASP! I can't believe I missed a novel by Suzanne.

My last read of the year will be Future Perfect by Suzanne Brockmann.

Blurb: Dressed in Victorian attire, Juliana Anderson gives guests at her cozy New England bed and breakfast a taste of old fashioned hospitality. Whether she’s cooking up delights in her kitchen or maintaining the rooms in her beautifully decorated inn, Juliana stays busy and content. Until Webster Donovan arrives—tall, rugged, and sexy beyond belief.

The lean, dark-haired author (with awesome abs -- see cover art above! ) has a bad case of writer’s block and he’s planned a six-week stay to cure it. But this beautiful woman is proving even more distracting to the cause. For prim, polite Juliana has a wild side: she rides a Harley and hides a troubled past. The moment Webster watched her take off her motorcycle helmet and shake loose those long, flame-haired curls, he found his muse—and lost his heart. But can romance with a woman afraid to trust in love last longer than a moment in time?

2011 - A Year in Review

With 2011 coming to a close I thought it would be a good time to reflect on the year.

Was it a good year for you? What did you do this year? What did you accomplish? What are you proud of? What did you try or experience?

Me? Hmm. Let me see.

My writer side of my personality finished my 5th novel and started my 6th. Yea me! I also presented a workshop at the Rhode Island Romance Writers conference. Loved that!

The athlete in me ran more 5Ks this year than the previous year. That was a personal goal for myself and I did it so I’m happy. I did a run/walk with my Dad on Thanksgiving morning, which was probably the best event. I did the Santa Run in a Santa suit in December with some friends and laughed my hiney off the entire time I was wheezing in the cold.
I started working out with a trainer 2 to 3 times a week. Wow! Does she know how to kick my butt, but I am grateful as my backside has never looked so good.
I played snow softball with people I just met. Talk about a way to meet new friends…just run around a softball field in 2 feet of snow trying to find a big white ball. You’ll become fast friends!

The gardener in me planted more flowers and fruit trees and built my own retaining wall. Not to mention cut up part of the gigantic Ash tree that crashed into my deck. One of the first things I accomplished in my yard this past year was to build my own firepit.

I took more voice lessons the beginning part of the year, but did not do the recital. Yup, I’m a big chicken. I admit it! One of these days I will actually sing in front of people. I know! That will be the same day I get on the NY Times Best Sellers list. [GRIN]

My outgoing personality (I’m really very introverted) allowed me to meet some new friends. One of the new friends I met when we both got lost in a 5K race. Now Kathie and I take a map with us when we run. Are we smart or what? Actually, we’re just quick learners.
I met Dave and Beth at one of the mystery events I do with author CJ West and they are the ones who roped me into playing snow softball. How could I not fall in love with them?

The adventurer in me finally got off her duff and took a vacation. I didn’t just go anywhere. I followed the signs and traveled to Kenmare, Ireland. One of the prettiest places on earth and I highly recommend it to everyone. Cannot wait to go back!

Speaking of Irish. I not only drank Guinness but I learned to really like it. So much so that when some friends asked me to make beer with them, I made a Dry Irish Stout…80 bottles of it. Mm…mm. It’s magically delicious.

My blondest moment yet!

If this is how 2010 is going to start I can tell I am in big trouble.

On this first day of 2010 yours truly pulled the blondest things I have ever done.
Yours truly locked herself inside my home office and was stuck there for over an hour. I had just finished painting the trim work and the door and cleared the room out so I could yank up the carpeting for the hardwood floors to be installed next week.

When I went to yank up the carpeting I shut the door so it would be out of the way. When I went to open the door the knob refused to turn. I removed the tape I put on to I didn't get paint on and tried again. No good. I couldn't get the lock to turn and the only thing I had in the room was my knife. No phone, no nothing.

I managed to get the door handle off by unscrewing it with my little knife but still couldn't get the knob to budge. What the heck was I going to do? I tried taking the hinges off but with no other tools in the room that was not happening.

If I thought I could have squeezed out the window (not a normal window but one of those crtank open ones)and dropped to the deck without breaking my neck or leg I might have tried that approach. Not sure if my butt would have made it through the crank out window.

So what does a resourceful woman like myself do when pounding and rattling the door does not work? I resorted to screaming out the window yelling for help. It was at least a good thirty minutes of me yelling, "Help!" until my neighbor finally heard me. And only because he had just gone out to the garage to work on his car.

There - that little story should put a smile on your face.

One good thing about this little incident - it will make a great scene in a book. :-)

Welcome to the New Year. Sheesh!

New Year

The changing of the calendar is a good time to reflect and to project.

REFLECT: What was your most exciting event of 2009?

PROJECT: What are you looking forward to most in 2010?

Most exciting event for me in 2009 was having my first book published. Then the second, and the third. Wow! A banner year for my writing. Not sure I will be able to top this year when it comes to writing.

In 2010, I am looking forward to taking on a new challenge, trying something new, and achieving a dream. *You'll have to wait to see what that dream is.*

Clinking my champagne glass with yours.
Cheers and here's to a wonderful New Year for you and yours!

See you on the other side.

What are you waiting for?

As you think about your New Year’s resolutions think about this question. “What are you waiting for?”

That question pertains to so many things but how does it pertain to you? Think about it.

It could be as simple as my neighbor who wants to empty out her storage closet in her basement and just throw stuff away. Why this is an issue for her I have no clue, but it is. Over a glass of wine, while we ripped up my bedroom carpeting so I can have wood floors installed I told her the “black garbage bag” trick.

Don’t scrunch up and wrinkle your brows and nose at me. This is serious and something my ex-MIL taught me. If you really want to get rid of something and don’t want to be tempted to take it back out of the trash throw it in a black trash bag. Out of sight, out of mind. This works and I live by it. We shall see if my neighbor stops waiting around and contemplating her closet or if she uses my trick. I’ll let you know.

That is a small, simple example of answering the question “What are you waiting for?”

Another more pertinent example to writing is below.

Every week I meet people who read my books or about to read one of my books for the first time and inevitably one person will tell me that he or she has always wanted to write a book. My response to them is like the Nike commercials. “Just do it. What are you waiting for?”

Close your mouth before flies start to congregate and stop staring at me as if I have two heads. If you’ve thought about writing a book enough to mention it to me or anyone else then what the heck are you doing. Why not sit down and actually start writing it? What do you have to lose? Why wait?

Those are rhetorical questions. If you take the time to think about them and answer them then you don’t really want it.

About six years ago, I decided to sit down and start writing my first novel. I didn’t come up with every excuse to not write. Some examples would be – Who will publish it? What if I suck at writing? I’m not good with grammar. What if no one will publish it?

Who cares! If you think in those terms then you will never write the story that is itching to get out of you and onto paper. You are not a true writer unless you write. Come on. Life is too damn short to play “What if –”

When you were younger did you see a tree in your yard or in your park and say, “I want to climb that tree” then go about playing on the swing set? No. You marched up to that tree and put feet and hands to work.

Why should writing or anything else you want in life be any different? So what that you are older and somewhere along the way of growing up you became more cautious and hesitant. So what that you might slip and fall and even hurt a little. Is it worth it? Heck yeah!

Six years ago my life flipped upside down and spun. Instead of waiting for the world to crash around me, I took the proverbial bull by the horns and went after something I wanted. I pulled out my computer and started my novel. Yes, it took me about 4 years to write that first story and another year to get it published, but I did it. Now I have 3 books on the shelf and one in line for next year, with my fifth book in progress.

I ask you again. “What are you waiting for?”

Life will never hand you what you want. You have to go out and take it and make it what you want. Think about something you want so badly that you can taste it and then ask yourself the question “What are you waiting for?”

If you want it then go for it! I did and I’m about to do it again.

Holiday Writing

How much did you actually write this past week between shopping and family time?

Me? I managed to squeeze in a one lousy chapter...not that the chapter was lousy. :-) As a matter of fact, my father, who is my first round editor, didn't even make any changes to the chapter so it couldn't have been terrible. (Right, Dad??)

I also managed to write a brief article on hooks; what they are and how to write one.

So I did get some writing done but if I'm going to meet my first New Year's resolution of completing my current WIP by February then I better get a move on.

New Year's Resolution and Writing

With the New Year just around the corner, I think it is time to start think about a New Year's Resolution related to writing.

Last year, I had written down (yes, you must write your resolution down) that I wanted to get published. Wow! I did!

I also listed that I wanted to finish my second book. Whew! Did that with one month to spare. Bonus! I actually had it accepted to be published.

Plus, let's not forget that my one and only poem was published. That never even entered my mind when I wrote up my 2008 resolutions.

In 2009 readers will be looking for 2 books by me. It Happens In Threes and Killer Bunny Hill

Now for my writer's New Year's Resolution for 2009. You'll notice I am sharing this with all of you so my feet get held to the fire.

1. Finish my current WIP by February for submission. (And of course, hopefully published.)
2. Finish the teen novel I started. (No date on this one...just do it.)
3. Get one of my articles related to writing published in a magazine by September.
4. Get a DRAFT of a new novel to the end, but not necessarily polished by December.

Whew! That's a lot to accomplish but between you and me, if I want it bad enough I will get it.

Share some of your New Year's Resolution related to writing here. Remember to write the list down and if possible give everything dates, even if just the month as this will give you added incentive to do it.